


crumble me to dust and i will be grateful

by Anonymous



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Although I used the quote so badly, Anal Sex, Butt Plugs, Dog dad Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak hates Back to the Future iii, Eddie Kaspbrak is Alive, Eddie in cute underwear, Eddie is a cutie who can blame him trying, Established Relationship, Everyone Is Alive, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, Insecure Eddie Kaspbrak, Jealous Richie Tozier, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Phone Sex, Post-Canon, Quote fic, Randall from the 7th floor is a nice guy really ', Some really strange references
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:49:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26250706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: “I’ll see you tomorrow night.”Eddie smiled at his phone, Richie’s voice a comfort despite the nearly 3000 miles that separated them. On nights like this, when the sun had long since set and Eddie was wrapped up beneath his silk sheets and laying on his brand new bed, it almost felt like Richie was right here beside him. All he had to do was close his eyes and Richie was right there, his large expanse of chest a much more comfortable cushion than any of Eddie’s duck-feather pillows.-My quote was 'It won't do you any good to run, Eddie' for Bimmy and Kitschy's Labor Day Book Quote Challenge
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 1
Kudos: 76
Collections: Labor Day Book Quote Challenge (2020)





	crumble me to dust and i will be grateful

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in about 4 parts over the past month or so and you can really tell because it definitely has pacing issues and I apologise for that.  
> But I really enjoyed being a part of this challenge, even if I have no idea what a Labor Day is (I should probably Google that.)  
> Anyway, hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I have writing it, big thanks for anyone who reads it!

“I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

Eddie smiled at his phone, Richie’s voice a comfort despite the nearly 3000 miles that separated them. On nights like this, when the sun had long since set and Eddie was wrapped up beneath his silk sheets and laying on his brand new bed, it almost felt like Richie was right here beside him. All he had to do was close his eyes and Richie was right there, his large expanse of chest a much more comfortable cushion than any of Eddie’s duck-feather pillows.

And tomorrow night, for three whole nights, Richie was _actually_ going to be here. He’d get to sleep in his arms for the first time in nearly two months and Eddie couldn’t be more ecstatic. He’d already taken a half-day off work and had his car professionally cleaned ready to pick Richie up from the airport. Richie was used to a car service ferrying him around and Eddie didn’t want his car to look like a mess in comparison. He knew that Richie would never say anything but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t _think_ it.

It wasn’t like Eddie was _worried_ about his relationship with Richie or anything. It was just that Richie had already given up so much for Eddie: his smoking habit and his nights out in grimy nightclubs and his endless casual sexual relationships. Eddie had seen the type of people that Richie had been rumoured to be hooking up with and none of them really looked much like a grumpy office manager with reading glasses and a love of cardigans. So, if Eddie had been to a beauty salon for a little maintenance work then that was between him and God. And maybe he’d taken a few detours to a couple of department stores after work, smiling and nodding at the shop assistant who asked if he was buying a surprise for his wife. He might have been a little embarrassed the whole time but it would definitely be worth it when he got to see Richie’s reaction. When he got to feel Richie’s hands on his body, unwrapping him like the very best kind of birthday present. He would have done _anything_ if it made Richie happier, anything at all.

Of course, they’d had sex before. When they’d first gotten together, when they had first confessed their undying love for each other they’d been at it like rabbits. The Derry Townhouse and the Hyatt Regency at the airport and that one memorable occasion in the disabled toilet at that crab restaurant where they’d had their last group meal. And yes, their friends had been suitably horrified when both Richie and Eddie came back to the table with their clothes rumpled and their hair a certifiable mess. Eddie put it down to Richie’s pure animal magnetism, the guy only had to give Eddie a certain look and desire would pulse through him like a second heartbeat. It was like a runaway train, Eddie couldn’t do anything to stop it and he knew that within minutes he’d be on his knees or his back or whatever position that Richie wanted him in. He’d never felt this for anyone else before and he knew he would never find it again, Richie was _it_ for him.

Eddie had gotten home to New York feeling like someone had planted a bomb inside his life. He’d asked Myra for a divorce and moved out of their condo the very same day, packing up his belongings and dragging them to a hotel until he managed to sort out a rental on a studio apartment not far from his job. Richie was constantly asking him to move to California with him and Eddie wanted to, he really did but he was scared. He didn’t want Richie to wake up in three or four or five months’ time and realise that he didn’t _really_ love Eddie, that it was all one of the clown’s final tricks and then he’d have to start all over again, again. So, Eddie stayed in New York and Richie agreed to try and get out there to visit whenever he had a free weekend. And it just so happened that he’d fallen straight into filming for a new movie that he could barely remember getting cast in, having hardly any free time for the last seven weeks.

“I’m so excited.” Eddie said, pressing his phone to his ear tighter as if that would somehow make Richie feel closer.

He heard Richie’s tell-tale low chuckle and his stomach rippled with longing. Suddenly, the twenty hours between now and Richie’s arrival felt like forever. He felt like he was being torn apart, the miles between them like a hole in his chest and keeping his thoughts always on the opposite coast, wondering what Richie was doing, what he was thinking, whether he couldn’t keep his mind off Eddie either.

“You sure you don’t want me to help you pack your things up while I’m there, I’ve got a pillow next to me with your name on and you know you’d look so good with a year-round tan, baby.”

Eddie felt his heart flutter, thought about how much he wanted to just say yes and move into Richie’s Echo Park home. He’d seen photographs, had seen the beautiful pool out back where Eddie would love to while away his days when Richie had to work, a trashy book in his hand like he was on a permanent vacation. His hair would get bleached by the sun and he’d only wear loose clothes, flitting around the place like some kind of kept boy. Richie had money, too much of it by any means and he’d promised Eddie that the second he moved out there, he’d never have to work another day in his life. He’d be free to spend his days however he chose, living a life of luxury that Eddie couldn’t even imagine. The idea had Eddie feeling breathless, his pyjama pants certainly tighter now than they were a moment ago. Before Richie, he never would have let himself think about anything like that, would have kept all his wants and deepest desires locked into the back of his mind.

“Soon.” Eddie found himself saying. He wanted it soon, he didn’t think his heart could cope with another brutal New York winter. He wanted to spend the holidays with Richie, cooking for the two of them and maybe some of their friends in Richie’s fancy kitchen- kissing under the mistletoe and holding hands under the dinner table. It wouldn’t be like the previous eleven years, where they’d pack up the car and stay with Myra’s parents, constantly being asked why they hadn’t had children and pretending like they could even stand being in each other’s presences for more than a few minutes at a time. He wanted to snuggle up under thick blankets with mugs of hot chocolate, Richie’s golden retriever curled up beside them like they were in some kind of Hallmark movie.

But as much as Eddie wanted to say yes, there was something in his heart that was stopping him. Something that he couldn’t quite put his finger on but it made his heart beat faster every time he even considered it. Maybe it was that he just wanted it _too_ much, that he couldn’t bear the thought of letting himself get everything he ever wanted. It made him want to run in the other direction, just pack up his bags and run away to somewhere where he could never be hurt again. But he knew better, he could hear his mother’s words in his head. _‘It won’t do you any good to run, Eddie.’_ She was talking about him leaving her but it still seemed relevant now. Even if he didn’t choose to go to Richie, even if he tried to run from the happiness that he knew would be waiting for him on the West Coast, he knew he would regret it until the day he died. He couldn’t ever do that to Richie.

“Okay, my love, I’ll hold you to that.” Richie chuckled again. “Every day that I have to come to bed without you breaks my heart, not to mention the fact that I think my dick is going to fall off if I keep jerking it so much.”

Eddie let out a startled laugh. They’d had phone sex a couple of times but most nights both of them were too tired for anything more than sappily falling asleep to the sound of each other’s breathing. Besides those times, Eddie had pretty much ignored his needs. He’d never been one to get himself off anyway, didn’t like the way he felt under his own hands and the shame that haunted him afterwards. So many times he’d had to fall asleep achingly hard just from the sound of Richie’s voice, would rather forget it then try and touch himself and end up feeling miserable.

“Aren’t you doing the same, sweetheart?” Richie asked, his voice slow and syrupy. “You’re not escaping to the bathroom at work and getting one of your hands down the front of those tweed trousers, the other hand covering your mouth so that no-one knows that little, old Eddie Kaspbrak is getting his rocks off at work? Maybe I’ll leave you on Monday morning with a vibrator nice and snug inside you- one that I can control from wherever. I could keep flicking it on and off, get you nice and wet right there at your desk.”

Eddie squeaked, his head swimming with the image of himself doing something so _illicit._ He’d never actually do it, he’d seen the state that some of their younger interns left the toilet cubicles and he’d never run the risk of somebody hearing but still the thought had Eddie tumbling into his own personal pit of desire.

“Maybe you could touch yourself now for me, what do you think, Eds?”

Even though he knew Richie couldn’t see him, Eddie nodded somewhat desperately. His hand danced on the waistband of his pants. They were some kind of thick silk material, the type that he’d coveted for years and finally bought a couple of weeks ago, so comfortable to sleep in and unbelievably soft against his legs. Now, however, the material had become lightly soaked where his erection pressed tightly against it. In one swift move, Eddie plunged his hand inside and took a hold of his cock, the pressure already overwhelming for someone so unused to doing this himself. He couldn’t help but let out a gentle groan as he stroked his fingers lightly over himself.

“That’s great, baby.” Richie said, his own voice tight and gravelly like he was touching himself too. “Just imagine that I’m right there beside you, I’d get you really worked up. You know I love it when you get all breathy and desperate.”

Eddie did know, could easily remember the amused grin on Richie’s face when Eddie would stop pretending that this wasn’t exactly what he wanted, when he’d buck his hips up into Richie’s hand and Richie would respond by holding him back down onto the bed. He’d tut and shake his hand, remind Eddie that he wasn’t allowed to move, that he wasn’t allowed to take anything from Richie and he had to be a _good_ , patient boy and wait for Richie to grant his release. Richie would nuzzle his stubbled face into the soft skin of Eddie’s stomach, leaving a burn that would last for days. He’d known exactly what Eddie had wanted right from the start, had teased him until he was bright red all over, dripping and so, so desperate. He’d whispered praise the entire time, holding Eddie as tightly as possible and kissing every piece of skin that he came across. The combination of soft and gentle and rough had made Eddie’s head spin in the most delicious way.

Eddie kept stroking his fingers, still ever so light. He could already feel the building pressure growing within him, Richie’s humming over the phone making him feel uncontrollably needy. He wanted Richie _here_ , wanted to be held down and kissed and touched by someone other than himself. Richie knew his limits better than he did himself, knew exactly how to make him feel like he was floating outside of his own body and it was just wasn’t good enough by himself.

“Wish you were here.” Eddie huffed, letting his fingers fall to a stop.

Richie sighed, a hint of sadness in the sound that Eddie picked up on. “I’m right here. And tomorrow, I’ll be right there.”

Eddie knew he was being stupid, knew that he was being a bit of a brat but it had been a long two months without Richie’s touch and he _needed_ it.

“Doesn’t feel as good without you.” He said, his voice bordering on petulant to Richie’s apparent amusement.

He laughed, a bubble of sound that exploded from the phone and made Eddie feel even worse. He didn’t want Richie to laugh at him, he wanted him to _help_ him. 

“Oh, my poor little baby. Can’t even touch himself without me, that’s so cute.” Richie purred, laughter still curling around the edges of his words. “But I asked you to touch yourself, darling and I don’t think you are. You know I don’t like it when you don’t follow instructions.”

Eddie felt like he’d been jolted with a bolt of electricity. Of course, he knew this. He knew exactly what happened when he didn’t listen to Richie and didn’t do what he wanted. They’d spent hours on the phone, poring over options and what they both liked and would be comfortable with. He’d lost his mind at some of Richie’s suggestions, his body trembling with anticipation of what was to come when they eventually had time to themselves. The very thought had made him blush an impossible red, the flush carrying all the way down his body until he almost felt sick with it.

“I’m sorry.” Eddie said quietly. “I’ll carry on, I’m sorry.”

Richie tutted loudly down the phone, the sound making Eddie flinch. “Too late. You’ve lost your chance. I’m tempted to just hang up and leave you squirming all night.”

Eddie felt like he was on fire- he couldn’t believe that Richie’s words could affect him so much. He was suddenly aching so much he felt like he might just die if he didn’t get to touch himself again, every part of him tingled with want and with need. Frustrated tears slipped down his face, tears that he was glad that Richie couldn’t see because he’d only tease him further. Now, he might not get to even come tonight.

“I’m going to give you one last chance but if you don’t listen then I’m just going to leave you hanging. And I definitely won’t be giving you what you want tomorrow and that will just _break my heart_.” Richie said slowly. There was a sternness to his voice that had Eddie reeling, ready to agree to just about whatever he wanted.

“Please, I promise I’ll be good.” Eddie stuttered, the words falling from his mouth easily. He wished that Richie was here so badly, wished that he could prove to him just how good he could really be. Everything was just so much better in person.

Richie barked out another laugh. “I’ll believe that when I see it. Now, flip over onto your stomach for me, baby.”

Eddie didn’t really understand where this was going but he was desperately trying to be obedient. He wanted Richie to be happy with him, to tell him how _good_ he was. But then the second his body made contact with the bed again and his cock was trapped painfully up against his mattress, he got an idea about what Richie wanted. _Oh._ He had no idea how something so humiliating could be so hot.

“I want you to get yourself off like this. No hands, nothing else, just rut against your bed for me. Wiggle those slutty hips and press your little dick against the bed until you come.”

Eddie moaned, Richie’s words were so filthy but exactly what he needed. They spurred him on, got him to thrust harshly against his memory-foam mattress topper as precome dribbled out of his tip, soaking him. His pants felt rough now, sticky and slimy against where he was most sensitive and Eddie curled his hands under his pillow, his phone safely beside him.

“You getting close, baby? Gotta ask for permission before you come, remember.”

Eddie hadn’t even considered that he might be close until Richie said that and then suddenly, his body felt like it was going _explode_ if he didn’t come right then. The slick slide of his clothed cock against his bed, the wet spot already forming on his fitted sheet and Richie’s rough breathing on the phone- it was all too much for his poor, little mind.

“Please, Rich. Please, I need to come so badly.” Eddie whimpered, his thrusts speeding up and shifting his bed against the wall, the thumping sound just adding to his overwhelmed feeling.

Richie sighed happily. “You know, I was going to make you wait a while longer but you’re playing so nicely now. Go on, baby, you can come for me now.”

The words were all Eddie needed, his body giving out as he flopped gracelessly onto the bed. He could only pant and writhe as he came, spurting his hot release into his pyjama pants and feeling the way it soaked through to the sheets beneath him. He’d have to change them, the only ones he had clean were the pretty ones he’d bought ready for Richie’s arrival tomorrow. Maybe he could sleep on the floor instead, pull his comforter down and made a little bed for himself down there so everything could still be perfect. Everything had to be perfect.

As Eddie drifted to sleep, clean again and perfectly sated, his mother’s words came back to him once again. _‘It won’t do you any good to run.’_

Richie’s flight had been fine. He’d hated planes when he was younger but when you were rich enough for first class, flying became fun. He loved the alert way the stewardesses paid attention to him, the extra champagne they’d bring him and the sneaky cell-phones taking pics of him from every angle. The pictures would pop up on the internet, him glugging from his glasses of whiskey, dressed in a scratty, old t-shirt and an old pair of sweatpants. He’d never understood people who dressed up just to get on a plane, surely it was better to just be comfortable.

Although, he definitely did regret not at least putting on a clean shirt when he pulled his cabin case into the arrivals hall and saw Eddie waving at him, his face lit up in a broad smile. He was dressed casually but Eddie’s casual wasn’t like Richie’s. No, he was wearing the cutest pair of light-wash jeans, a cornflower blue t-shirt tucked into the waistband and covered by a soft-looking cardigan. His hair was longer than it had been in Derry, curling around his ears and making him look like the softest person Richie had ever seen. He should have been the one being photographed, looking so adorable that Richie thought he might just melt to the floor just looking at him.

“Richie!” He called, beckoning him towards him.

They met somewhere in the middle, Richie dropping his suitcase to the floor in favour of wrapping his arms around Eddie’s body. He twirled him around, dying inside at Eddie’s giggles as his feet lifted off the ground. Richie wanted to never put him down again, to go about his entire life with Eddie safely within his arms and not trapped thousands of miles away. He wanted to run back inside the airport terminal and sneak Eddie back to L.A with him and never let him leave again.

“I can’t believe you’re really here.” Eddie said, slightly breathless once he was back on solid ground again. His hands were curled up in little fists, clutching the front of Richie’s shirt like he didn’t want to let go. “I feel like I’m dreaming.”

Richie flung an arm around him, steering them towards the exit and Eddie’s car. He wanted to get back to Eddie’s apartment and spend the rest of the day in bed. Maybe they could spend the entire weekend inside, they could order in and feed each other junk food from the comfort of Eddie’s bed. He didn’t want to waste any of their time together, didn’t know when he’d next get a chance to fly out and couldn’t risk not making the most of this weekend.

Eddie drove them home smoothly, his gaze flitting to Richie over and over, a smile building on his face the closer that they got to the city. Whenever they got stuck in traffic, one of his small hands would find its way to Richie’s thigh, squeezing until Richie slipped it into his own hand. He didn’t think he’d ever get over how tiny and cute Eddie’s hands were, his fingers so thin and delicate- he thought about the diamond ring that he’d buy one day and how beautiful it would look right there on his finger. He wondered if Eddie would say yes if he proposed right now, or whether he’d purse his lips and tell Richie that it was _better_ for them to wait. Even though pretty much all Richie had wanted since he was a kid was to put a ring around Eddie’s finger and get to call him his husband. Even though he thought he would die if Eddie actually agreed to marry him, to be Eddie Tozier.

They parked up beneath Eddie’s building and he turned to him, his eyes shiny and excited. Richie thought that he was practically vibrating in his seat.

“I just want to warn you- it’s not much. I’m still paying alimony to Myra and rent is so expensive, this is pretty much all I can afford.” Eddie said, chewing on his bottom lip the way he did when he was nervous.

Richie felt his heart crack, Eddie was so beautiful and he couldn’t believe that he was so lucky. But Eddie should never be nervous around Richie, he didn’t care what his apartment looked like or how much disposable income he had. Richie just loved Eddie no matter what, would love him no matter what his job was or where he lived.

“Baby, I’d come visit you if you lived in a shoebox. I just want to _spend time_ with you.” Richie said, reaching out and tousling the soft hair at the nape of Eddie’s neck. He knew that he was sensitive there, knew that all it took was a harsh tug in that area and Eddie would go all gooey and pliant under his touch.

There was an elevator that took them from the garage all the way to Eddie’s floor. It was small and dingy with scraped up mirrors and a distinct smell of urine- it made Richie itch to take Eddie back downstairs, to drive them to one of the 5* hotels that he’d usually stay in while he was in the city. Eddie didn’t belong here.

Another man got in on the ground floor, a tall man with a wide smile and bright clothing. His eyes lit up in recognition at the sight of Eddie, leaning down to give him a high five, one that had Eddie erupting in a fit of giggles. Richie smiled tightly at the man, leaning against the mirrored wall as he kept a tight arm around Eddie’s waist.

“Holy shit, are you Richie Tozier?” The man said, finally tearing his gaze away from Eddie to gape outwardly at Richie.

Richie shrugged modestly, so used to the attention after years in the spotlight. “Yeah, guilty as charged.”

“I just watched _Every Bride’s Nightmare_ like two days ago. You are _such_ a douche in that film, I really do not understand how you end up with Rachel McAdams. Like dude, she is so out of your league.”

Richie gritted his teeth. In the two years since that film had been released, people thought it was appropriate to tell him this over and over. If he hadn’t made so much money then he definitely would have regretted ever agreeing to star in it. Although it had been kind of fun to play the romantic lead in a rom-com and afterwards, the internet had exploded with hundreds of people expressing a new-found admiration for him.

“So I’ve been told.” Richie said tightly.

Eddie turned to him, his face a little flushed as his gaze flitted between Richie and this random guy. There was an unreadable expression on his face, one that had Richie growing feral and wanting nothing more than the elevator doors to open so they could get out of there. The space suddenly felt smaller and warmer and Richie wanted to punch the smug look off this random asshole’s face. There was just something about Eddie that had always brought out something in him, something that had him on edge.

Luckily, the elevator dinged their arrival at Eddie’s floor and with his small hand entwined with Richie’s, he pulled them both towards the door.

“Hey, Eddie- have a think about that date, I’ll be waiting for you.” The guy said, winking quickly before the elevator doors closed right in front of his face.

Richie looked at Eddie, sourness feeling like it was oozing out of every pore. He wasn’t surprised that other people were interested in Eddie, he was adorable and beautiful and the hottest thing that Richie had ever seen. But that didn’t mean that other guys could look at him, he was _Richie’s._ Or at least, that was what Richie was led to believe. But now that he was thinking about it, he and Eddie had never really defined their relationship beyond the love confessions and the copious amounts of sex. For all Richie knew, Eddie had been on a hundred dates since he’d last saw him.

“Are you going on a date with that asshole?” Richie asked, feeling nervous for the first time since he’d landed.

Eddie gave him a look, his eyebrows shooting up into his hairline in poorly concealed surprise. “Of course not. Why would you even ask that?”

“I don’t know, he seemed to be really into you.”

Eddie recoiled away from him, horror written all over his beautiful face. “Have I got this really wrong? I thought we were in a committed relationship, I thought that we were boyfriends, or partners or something like that. You want me to move in with you, is that a casual thing?”

Richie felt himself deflate, wanted nothing more than to gather Eddie into his arms and coo promises to him. Eddie wasn’t his boyfriend or his partner, he was the love of his life and he would never, ever do anything to jeopardise that. He needed Eddie to know that.

“No, of course it isn’t. I just- we never explicitly talked about it and then that guy was there and he was flirting with you and I just thought that maybe we weren’t on the same page about this.”

Eddie softened, one of his arms curling around Richie’s waist and taking a couple of steps back towards him. The hallway was tiny, only three doors in front of them- one of which must have been Eddie’s new home but he didn’t guide them towards it. Instead, he took another step until he was right in Richie’s personal space, looking up at him as he tightened his grip even more.

“I’m on your page, I don’t want Randall from the seventh floor and I don’t want Bill or Ben or Stanley or even Mike. You’re the only one I’ve ever wanted.” Eddie said, his voice sweet and low.

Richie’s ego inflated. Eddie was perfect, the sweetest little thing that Richie had ever had the pleasure of knowing and the only person he’d ever truly loved. Richie had known it the second he’d walked into that Chinese restaurant back in Derry and had seen the back of Eddie’s jacket; he’d known right then that he would do anything for that man, anything that could make him his.

“Yeah?” Richie said with a rasp. “You want to take me home, Mr Kaspbrak?”

Eddie nodded, his eyes half-glazed over already. He took Richie’s hand again, his soft skin enveloping Richie’s rougher callouses, entwining them together perfectly. He pulled gently, guiding them towards the middle of the three doors before taking out a set of keys and pushing it open.

Eddie hadn’t been exaggerating when he’d said it wasn’t much, it was really just a small room. There was a full-sized bed pushed into the corner by a tiny window, neatly made in soft looking grey sheets and covered with pillows. There was a small kitchenette and a door that looked like it led to a bathroom but it was tiny, the whole place could fit into Richie’s bedroom back in California. This was no place for Eddie, it was dingy and musty and looked like some of the hovels Richie had lived in back when he was in his early twenties.

“Baby.” Richie said, his heart breaking at the thought of Eddie living like this when he had such luxury at home. “This is where you’ve been living?”

Eddie shrugged, letting go of Richie’s hand to move further into the room. “It’s cheap.”

“No shit. This is a walk-in closet, not an apartment.” Richie shook his head, thinking how if he stretched out his arm he could probably hit the opposite wall. It was _that_ small. “Please come home with me on Monday.”

Eddie looked at him, a conflicted look on his face. Richie knew that he was having trouble with this decision, knew that he wanted to drop everything and move across the country to be with him but that it was just such a huge step for such a new relationship. Richie didn’t think any of that mattered though, their relationship didn’t exist within the confines of other people’s, they could go at their speed with their own timeline. He just wanted Eddie home with him, sharing his space and to wake up to his beautiful face every morning.

“I don’t know, Richie.” He said, sounding a tad nervous. “Myra always said I wasn’t easy to live with, I don’t want to be a burden for you.”

Richie didn’t think Eddie could ever be a burden. He wanted to go find this Myra woman and inform her that she was wrong, that Eddie was never the person that she thought he was. He wanted to say all the things he should have said to Sonia Kaspbrak all those years ago, tell her that her love wasn’t good and that all it did was hurt Eddie, pushed him to become a person he didn’t like just to make her happy. All those years that Eddie had wasted, stuck in a home filled with bitterness when he could have been happy. Richie just wanted him to be happy.

“Please.” Richie said, moving closer and watching the way Eddie turned to look at him with his big, brown eyes nice and wide. “I don’t think I can live another day there without you.”

Eddie swallowed, his throat restricting visibly as his gaze flitted up and down Richie’s body. The tight, old t-shirt and the grey sweatpants which did nothing to hide the evidence of his desire. And Eddie just looked so gorgeous, standing there and looking at Richie like he wanted nothing more than for him to hold him, for him to touch him.

“I want to live my whole life with you by my side.” Richie said, taking yet another step forward until he was close enough to touch. “I want to wake up beside you and go to sleep with you in my arms every night.”

Eddie nodded, his eyebrows furrowed slightly in contemplation. He looked so cute like that, unsure of what he was going to say next and pulling gently on the sleeve of his cardigan. He looked a million miles away from the Eddie that had turned up in Derry all those months ago with all his repressed energy and snarky comments, the perpetual frown on his face. Richie’s ego preened at the thought that _he_ was the one who got Eddie to unfurl himself, that he was the catalyst in Eddie’s journey towards a better, happier life. And he wanted more for him, he wanted to get to see the outcome of that happiness every day- he wanted to shower Eddie with his love from near-by, not from thousands of miles away.

“I think I’d like that.” Eddie said quietly, looking almost nervous as if Richie was going to change his mind and laugh in his face. As if he was going to push Eddie over like one of their childhood bullies and tell him that he _could never want someone as disgusting_ as him. Like Richie’s entire existence wasn’t suddenly centred around making him happy. Like he wouldn’t have done anything if Eddie had only asked for it.

“Yeah?” Richie said, feeling somewhat smug at finally, _finally_ , getting Eddie to at least admit that’s what he wanted. “Just me and you, one _very_ nice house in LA and our golden retriever.”

And he’d been plying Eddie with photographs of Clara for weeks- the way she liked to curl up on the sun-warmed patio and her favourite carrot shaped toy, the one that she ripped to shreds every couple of weeks and whose corpse she would whine over until Richie went out of his way to buy her another. At this point, he had an entire cupboard full of Chris the Carrot toys. She was his spoiled baby, the only child he’d probably ever have and pretty much his only lifeline for a couple of years back then when things were bad. She’d love Eddie, he’d always been generous with pets and Richie just knew that all it would take was her to lick at his hand and he’d be feeding her all kinds of treats that Richie didn’t usually allow. Richie couldn’t wait, he wanted to fill his photo stream and his social media with endless shots of the two loves of his life, curled together. Eddie with his puppy dog brown eyes and Clara with hers, they’d get on so well.

“I still can’t believe you named your dog after a character from _Back to the Future iii_.” Eddie said with a smile.

Richie shrugged, a playful glint in his eyes. He took another step towards Eddie.

“Well, we all know it is truly the best of the trilogy.”

 _God,_ this brought back memories. Cinema trips with Eddie, the way his brow would furrow every single time someone had an opposing opinion to him. Richie loved it though, loved pressing his buttons until he’d finally erupt into an explosion of pure Eddie energy. He’s pretty sure that he only reason he spent hours lamenting over and over how much he loved that film was just to see Eddie’s body start to shake with the increasing need to tell him how wrong he was. It was strange to look back and realise that a joke between his childhood friends had become something else entirely when he couldn’t remember them, nights spent watching it over and over because something inside him was telling him that he had to.

But now Eddie had a different way of getting Richie to shut up, he was grown and mature now and didn’t have the same angry repressed energy that had thrummed through him since he was a kid. Now, all Eddie needed to do was finally close the gap between them, throwing himself into his boyfriend’s arms.

“Oh, that’s how we’re going to play it?” Richie murmured, his breath hot against Eddie’s lips before he finally gave into his temptations, scooping Eddie safely into his arms. Eddie reacted quickly, his legs wrapping around Richie’s waist as he pressed him against the wall behind him. _Back where they belong._

It didn’t take long until they were both on the bed, Eddie’s clothes in a pile on the floor. Every layer they’d removed had revealed another little surprise and Richie was practically salivating by the time he was down to the just the soft-looking silk underwear that lay beneath. Eddie had gone such a beautiful red colour, Richie wasn’t sure whether it was embarrassment or arousal but whatever it was, it was really doing it for him. If he was being honest, Eddie could have worn anything and it still would have turned him on just as much but seeing him freely expressing himself and being more confident in himself made Richie ridiculously happy.

“So beautiful.” Richie said, stroking a hand down the expanse of Eddie’s stomach and watching as his muscles tensed against the touch. “You’re all I can think about, baby.”

Eddie nodded, his eyes following Richie’s every movement. He was already so hard that he felt like he might die if Richie didn’t touch him right now. He was right here after so long and all he could do was tease him, he shouldn’t be so surprised because it was such a Richie thing to do but he was getting so desperate. It had been way too long since he’d felt under Richie’s hands and he wasn’t looking to wait any more time. Although, he supposed it didn’t matter as much now that he was going to be with Richie full time, the very thought of which had a twinge of excitement running through his body.

Eventually, Richie’s hands made their way to Eddie’s thighs as he nudged them wider, exposing the sheer extent of Eddie’s arousal. He rubbed his calloused fingers over the sensitive skin there, grinning madly at the way Eddie’s breath hitched wildly. That’s when all his carefully constructed plans went out of the window.

“I was going to spend all night taking you apart.” Richie said, trailing a finger in the crease between Eddie’s skin and the silky fabric. “But I’ve changed my mind, it’s been too long and I _have_ to get inside you soon.”

Eddie thanked God, that was all he wanted right now. That was what he’d planned for earlier that day when he’d spent nearly an hour working himself open enough to stuff himself with his brand-new plug, ready and waiting for Richie to take care of him. It had been a challenge not to get himself too worked up but he’d gone slow and steady, one finger at a time until he could finally slide the plug in with nothing more than a tight exhale. Then the drive to and from the airport had driven him insane, every pothole or bump on the road, slamming the toy into his prostate and making him bite down on his tongue so hard it was bleeding.

And then there was the gasp Eddie was expecting, the sly grin on Richie’s face when he realised what Eddie had done.

“Gee, Mr Kaspbrak, you did all this for me?” He asked, his head tilted on his side as he looked up at Eddie with amusement dancing in his eyes.

Eddie couldn’t decide whether he wanted to melt into the ground or ask him to hurry the fuck up.

“To speed things along, I _need_ you.” Eddie ended up saying, his mind feeling like it was dissolving from the way Richie was looking at him.

Richie tutted but he didn’t chastise Eddie for what he said. He felt it too, felt the connection between them crying out for more. He had the rest of his life to tease Eddie into oblivion, right now he clearly had to take good care of his boy and give him what he wanted.

In one swift move, Richie pulled Eddie’s underwear down past his thighs and got his fingers on the bulb of the plug. Ignoring the way Eddie squirmed and shifted, he pulled on it, neglecting the temptation to have yet more fun and pulling it out in nearly one quick movement. They would _definitely_ be having more fun with this once he’s got Eddie safely ensconced in his LA house but for now, he stowed it on Eddie’s bedside table where he swapped it for the bottle of lube that lay there from earlier.

Eddie was right, he’d managed to speed things up perfectly and Richie only needed to take a few extra minutes to stretch him out before he was sliding on a condom and lining himself up. Eddie always reacted so perfectly, pressing his face into the pillow and curling his hands at his sides as if that was the only thing keeping him attached to reality as Richie slowly pushed his way inside. From there, neither of them took very long to fall apart in each other’s arms. Perhaps they could put it down to the distance that had between them for so many weeks, or just the pure excitement at being back together again but both of them didn’t need much until they were unravelling. But they wouldn’t have changed it for anything, they had all the time in the world to be together and they both knew that they would do anything they could to make sure nothing could ever break them apart again.

Afterward, they were both clean and exhausted and laying happily in each other’s arms. Richie was regaling Eddie with a story from one of his last days of filming but Eddie couldn’t bring himself to listen. His mind was swimming with so much love and so many thoughts about what his new life in California was going to look like. His new life where he didn’t run from what he wanted, where he actually got to be happy. He wondered if he’d ever be able to accept that he deserved to be so happy but he thought that maybe one day with Richie’s help he would. 

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to leave any comments or hit me up on my tumblr I'm [Zabbytheturtle](https://tumblr.com/blog/zabbytheturtle) and I'm willing to talk to anybody about anything!


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